Seam for woven wire fabric and method of making the same



Oct. 29, 1940. CRQSSMAN EI-AL 2,219,588

7 SEA FOR WOVEN WIRE FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Dec. 9, 1939 ORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1940 SEAM For. WOVEN wmr; F MAKING THE Shaker Heights, Southam, Cleveland, .Ohio, as!

Wire .Weaving Company,

METHOD OF Fred Crossman,

Lindsay mclmn samr.

phio, a corporation of Qhio Application December 9, 1939, serial No. cos-.452

9 Claims. (of. 245 -10) The present invention relates to woven wire belts, particularly for paper making machines of the Fourdrinier type, and has ,for an object to provide an improved seam or jointure between i the ends of a length of wire mesh, whereby an effective endless belt is produced. It isparticularly proposed to-secure the ends, by welding, brazing or soldering, in joint will have substantially thesame characteristics of flexibility and strength as the body of the wire mesh, shall properly support .the paper being formed, and shall undue wear to the suction boxes. 1

A further object is to provide a seam structure such manner that the and drain not cause] I larged scale, Fig. l isa which permits the belt to be run in either direction with satisfactory results. This simplifies the installation of the belt in the Fourdrinier ma-.

, chine over those belts whichc'an be ruri satisfactorily only in. one direction? 20 A further. object of the invention is to provide a seam which will very effectivelyhold the adjoining ends of a belt of twill weave, wherein the warp wires pass over one weft wire and thence over two adjacent weft wires,'or vice versa, such weave producing less wear on the suction boxes, but by reason of long pickets at the end of the web giving trouble in forming a proper-seam.

A further object is to'provide such a seam structure that the operation of joining the ends 30 of the web may be carried out in a convenient,-

uniform and economical manner.

' In forming the seam, wehave introduced the novel feature of removing a portion of the final weft wire, which is soldered in place at one end 35 of the web, to produce a flat-surface whichaligns with the flattened ends of the embracing warp abutting the ends oi the, picket' wires, and then at the other end of the web partly against such flnal weft wire and partly against its embracing 40 warp wires, and securing such abutting surfaces together. In this manner we obtain a-very effective junction of the two ends of the web, without interfering with the flexibility and while maintaining the necessary drainage spaces in the 45 belt. The abutting ends of the pickets may be secured to the weft wire and warp wires by welding, brazing or soldering, as desired, though we prefer to use'powdered solder fused by a torch. Suitable applied material, which may be solder,

5 is" placed above and" below eachv picket which indicating the portion which I righthand of Fig. 3 and the left hand of Fig. 4 20' abuts the flattenedflnal weft wire adjacent the junction to make a gradual surface from the warp wires at one side of the junction to the warp wires on the other side. In this manner, the 65 joint presents rounded knuckles to the junction the drainage space in such reference numerals warp wire l0 above it,

pickets so as the flattened final weft wire between the warp 5 pickets of theother end of the web to control regions. I Our invention comprises. themeans by which we accomplish the above objects, as well as the method of carrying out the operation, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing "and hereinafter 'more fully described. In the drawing, which is on a greatly enplan of a portion of a woven wire belt joined by our. improved seam; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionvof a joined. belt; Figs.'3 and 4 are'sectional elevations of end portions of the web before joining, thebroken linw cut off at the before the junction is effected. V

Referringparticularlyito figs. 1 and 2, the ||l, and I2 indicate warp wires at one end of the web,and |0a.,- He, and |2a the same warp wires at the other end of the as web. indi ates any of the weft wires except j the final wef wire at the seam, designated 2|.

The weft wires 20 are round, while thewire 2| is flattened by-remo g a portion thereof at the end of the web, as shown in Fig. 2. This weft to wire 2| is firmly secured to the warp wires above and below it, by solder indicated at in Fig. 2. The outer face of the final weft wire -2| and the ends of the warp wires which engage it all terminate in the same vertical plane indicated at 25- 'X-X. The picketsform'ed by the warp wires at the opposite end of the web also. terminate in the same plane but spread vertically a less distance at their ends than the final warp-wire 2|, so thatthe'y abut both the 40 flattened .final' weft wire and an adjacent warp wire. As appears in Fig. 2, some oflthe warp. wires, as Illa, abut the final w'eft'wire 2| and the as m; abuts the final weft wire 2| 7 and the warp wire |2 below it. These members are secured together preferably by soldering. g I,

- Where solder is used to joint the ends of fabric,

it accumulatesas at 3|, .above the endof the wire Illa and at the end of the wire Ill; and also at 32 beneath the wire Ma' 'and adjacent the weft 2|. The solder as shown in Fig. 1 adheres close-y 1y to the weft 2| and to the ends of the warp' to make an effective joint therewarp ends embracing the I while. another warp wire,

between without clogging the openings adjacent the belt.

It results from. the above described construction that the two ends of the warp wires are secured together and are also secured to a weft space between the adjacent weft wires at the seam on this side would be greater than the normal spacing. Iliis allows the application of solder along the flattened final weft wire between the pickets as indicated at 34 in Fig. 1, without reducing the drainage space beyond the normal; in fact, such solder furnishes means for controlling the drainage areas in this region as desired.

Due to the above described characteristics of our seam, it is very strong, does not interfere with the flexibility or the drainage of the belt or cause troublesome wear on the suction boxes. It also enables the belt to be run satisfactorily in either direction.

In carrying out our invention, we form a web in the usual manner, then at one end we solder the final weft wire effectively within the warp wires. We then cut away the ends of'the warp wires and a portion of the final weft wire back to a vertical plane which leaves about two-thirds in horizontal diameter of the original final weft wire. Such cut-away portionsare indicated at Y, in Fig. 3, between the original ends of the web and the final plane XX. We prefer to ing operation.

At the other end of the web, we remove the endmost weft wire, press the end portion of the web together somewhat, and cut away the ends of the pickets back to the center of the region which was occupied by the endmost weft wire, as indicated at Z in Fig. 4, cutting these, ends to cause them to terminate in the same vertical plane indicated by the line X-X.

After the formation of the two ends of the web, we abut these ends together, each picket coming against a portion of the fiat face of the final weft wire 2| at the other end of the web, and against a bring all of these wires to this plane by a grindportion of the warp wire above or below such weft wire, as the case may be, and we then secure these abutting faces to each other, preferably by powdered solder fused by a torch. I

Either at the same time, or as a subsequent step, we apply material, preferably solder, around the pickets at the seams and between them against the flattened weft wire and above and below them against the opposite ends of the warp wires, thus making a rounded gradual surface approximately corresponding to the knuckles throughout the web.

Our seam and the method of making it is applicable to various forms of weave effectively j oining the warp wires thereof. We have found it especially valuable with a twill weave, in which some warp wires, by passing over or under two adjacent weft wires, leave comparatively long picket portions which have heretofore presented a troublesome factor in the formation of the seam. By our method of joining the ends of the web, by

retaining a final weft wire attachedlto all of the embracing warp wires on one side of the seam, and, abutting the warp wires at the other side against such final weft wire, as well ,as against --2,219,ass

the ends of the warp wires, we have overcome this difficulty.

We claim:

1. In a wire cloth belt, a length of woven wire cloth comprising warp and weft wires, the final weft wire at one end having a portion thereof removed to a substantially vertical plane and being secured to the warp wires above and below it, and the warpwires at the other end terminating in a substantially vertical plane and each abutting both part of the final weft wire and part of the warp wires adjacent thereto, such abutting members being secured together.

2. In a wire cloth belt, a length ofwoven wire cloth comprising warp and weft wires, the final weft wire at one end having a portion thereof removed to a substantially vertical plane and the ends of the warp wires above andbelow it being all secured together, the warp wires at the other end terminating in a substantially vertical plane and abutting and attached to part of said final weft wire and part of the adjacent warp wire, and material to form arounded knuckle adjacent the seam at the projecting portions of the endsof the warp wires where they embrace the final weft wire. v

3. In a wire cloth belfia length of woven wire cloth comprising warp and weft wires, the final weft wire at one end having a portion thereof removed to a substantially vertical plane and the ends of the warp wires above and below it all terminating in one plane, the warp wires at the other end treminating in a substantially vertical plane and abutting and attached to part of said final-weft wire and part of the adjacent warp wire, and added material adjacent the seam engaging the end surfaces of the warp wires where they embrace-the final weft wire and the side surfaces of the warp wires where they abut the final weft wire. I

4. In a wire cloth belt, a lenghi of woven wire cloth, comprising 'warp and weft wires, one end of the length terminating in a plane which passes through the warp wires and through the normal circular boundary of the final weft wire, the other end of the web terminating at a plane passing through warp wires beyond the last retained weft wire, the pickets at the latterend abutting the fiattened'face of the final weft wire at the first mentioned end, and abutting also the end warp wires, and being secured both to the final weft wire and the warp wires at the first mentioned end, and the applied material surrounding the warp wires at said second end, and abutting the ends of the warp wires and the flattened side of the final weft wire at the first mentioned end.

5. A wire cloth belt comprising a'length of woven wire cloth having warp and weft wires, the final weft wire at one end secured to the warp wires above and below it by applied material engaging the weft wire and such warp wires, and the ends of these warp wires and a portion of the final weft wire being removed to a substantially vertical plane when the web is horizontal, the final weft wire at the other end being entirely removed, and the warp pickets beyond it being of reduced spread and cut off to a vertical plane which passes substantially through the center of the space normally occupied by such removed weft wire, the two ends of the web abutting at such severing plane with the ends of said warp pickets abutting part of the final weft wire of the other end and part of the warp wires at such other end, and applied material around the warp pickets which abut the final weft wire, said material engaging the projecting end surfaces and the other ends of such warp wires and also engaging the flattened face of said final weft wire between the warp pickets.

5 6. In a wire cloth belt,a.1ength of wire cloth comprising warp and weft :wlres woven in a twill weave and having a final weft wire at one end, said weft wire having a portion thereof removed to a substantial1y vertica1 plane and the warp .0 wires at the other end terminating in a substantially vertical plane and each abutting both part of said final weft wire and part of the warp wire adjacent thereto, and added'material securing said final weft wire to warp wires both in the regions l5 where they embrace it 'and'in the regionsrwhere they abut it, v

'7. ;['he method'of joining the ends of woven. wire web toform a belt, comprising terminating one end .of the web in a substantially vertical 20 plane which passes through a portion of a fina weft wire, and terminating the other end in a substantially vertical plane passing through the warp wires beyond the last retained weftwire, and then abutting the warp picket of the latter 25 end against a portion of the final weft wire, and

against portions or the warp wire ends at the first "mentioned end of the web, and securing such abutting faces together.

.8, The method of ioiningthe ends of woven 80 wire web to form a belt, comprising cutting of! one end of the web back tea plane which passes I other end, reducing the spread of the pickets at a portion of the cut of! final weft wire and against the cut oil warp wires at the first mentioned end, and applying material above and below the warp wires which abu said out off final weft wire, such material engaging the ends or the-warp wires em- 5 bracing the final weft wire in a manner to leave rounded knuckles at the top and bottom of the seam. 7

9. The method of making a woven wire belt, comprising forming a woven wire web, soldering 10 or otherwise effectively joining the final weft wire 4 at one end of the web to the warp wires above and below it removing the end or the web back to such end and cutting them oi! back to a plane which passes substantially through the center of the region originally occupied by the removed so warp wire,- then abutting the ends of the warp picket at the last mentioned end of the web as against a portion of the flattened face of the final weft wire and a rtion of the ends of the adjacent warp wires at the other end of the web, se-QZS curing such abutting races together, and, either atlthe same time or as a subsequent operation, adding material around the warp wires where they abut the flattened final weft wire; such added material engaging also the final weft wire and- 80 the ends or the warp wir above and below such final welt wire.

EARL A. SOUTHAM- 

